Post or pile driver



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELllIER WELSH AND ARTEMUS YVELSH, OF SOOTTDALE, PENNSYLVANIA.

POS-T OR .PILE DRIVER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 363,706, dated May 24, 1887.

Application filed January 28, 1857. Serial No. 225,798. (No model.)

T0 aZZ whom it may concern..-

Be it known that we, ELMER XVELsII and ARTEMUS WELsrr, citizens of the United States, residing at Scottdale, in the county of \Vestmoreland and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Post or Pile Drivers, of which "the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to an improvement in post or pile drivers; and it consists in the peculiar construction and combination of devices, that will be more fully set forth hereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a post and pile driver embodying our improvements. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is partly a top plan view and partly a horizontal section taken on the line w 00 of Fig. 2.

A represents a truck, having thefront axle,

B, provided with the large supportingwheels O, the rearward and downward projecting reach D, the rear axle, E, attached to the lower end of the said reach, and the small supporting-wheels F, journaled on the ends of the rear axle. From the upper side of the truck, and directly in line with the front axle, project a pair of vertical standards, G. From the rear side of the truck, onthe upper side thereof, project a pair of arms, H, which are inclined toward the standards G, and are secured in position by means of the inclined braces I.

K represents a horizontal cross-bar, which connects the standards G, the said cross-bar being provided at its ends with vertically-extending slide-boxes L, which engage the opposing sides of the standards G, the said crossbar and slide-boxes constituting a vertically movable cross-head, M.

N represents a horizontal rockshait, which is journaled in the slide-boxes L. From the said rock-shaft projects an arm, 0, to the outer end of which is attached a suitable hammerhead, 1?.

R representsan operating-arm, which projects from one side 01' the rock-shaft at an angle of about forty-five degrees with reference to the arm 0. A volute spring, S, has its inner end attached rigidly to the rock-shaft, and the outer end of the said spring is attached rigidly to the cross-bar K. The said spring, in

its tendency to uncoil, raises the arm 0, carrying the hammer-head, to a vertical position, and serves as a poise for the hammer, as will 5 5 be very readily understood.

T represents a leverarnnwhich is fulcrumed at its inner end to the cross-bar K. The said lever-arm is connected to the outer end of the operatingarm R by means of a link, U.

Vrepresents a shaft or axle which connects the upper ends of the inclined arms H, and on the said shaft or axle is fulcrumed a handlever, V. A bail, X, is attached to the rockshaft, the latter being free to rotate in the 6 ends of the bail, and the said bail is provided at its upper side with a hoop which engages a ring or eye formed at the inner end of the hand-lever WV, and thereby the bail is attached to the said hand-lever, and forms the medium whereby the cross-head carrying the lever-arm, the spring, and the hammer is connected to the lever \V.

From the rigid shaft or axle Vdepends a scgment-arm,Z,provided with a series of teeth. 7 5 The lever-arm \V has a s'pringactuated bolt, A, connected by rod B to a handle, 0, at the outer end of the lever XV, the said spring-act uated bolt being adapted to engage the segment-arm, and thereby secure the lever V at any desired angle.

From the foregoing it will be understood that by means of the said lever-arm and the vertically-movable cross-head the hammer and its actuating devices may be raised or lowered.

The operation of our invention is as follows: The truck is wheeled to a point at a suitable distance from the post or pile to be driven, and the cross-head is raised or lowered by means of the lever to such a height as will cause the hammer to strike fairly on the upper end of the post or pile when the hammer is moved downward to a horizontal position, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The operator then grasps the lever T and forces the same downwardly, thus overcoming the equilibrium of the hammer and causing it to descend, against the tension of the spring S, upon the upper end of the post or pile. The spring immediately returns the hammer to its initial raised position while the lever T is being raised, and holds the hammer poised ready for another stroke, and the operation is re peated untilthe post or pile has been driven to a suitable depth in the ground. As the post is gradually driven downward, the crosshead will be correspondingly lowered from time to time by raising the outer end of the lever WV, so as to cause the hammer to always strike squarely upon the upper end of the post or pile.

A machine thus constructed is adapted to be transported from one place to another with great facility, and will be found extremely useful in driving posts orpiles and in blasting operations in mines and quarries.

Having thus described our invention, we claim 1. In a post or'pile driver, the combination of the frame having the vertical guidingstandards, the cress-head movable vertically between the said standards, the rock-shaft journaled to the cross-head, the hammer carried by the rock-shaft, the arm R, projecting from the rock-shaft, the spring S, connected to the rock-shaft and adapted to normally poise or raise the hammer, the lever T,pivoted to the cross-head, the link U, connecting the said lever to the cross-head, and the lever W, connected to the cross-head to raise and lower the same, substantially as described.

2, In a post or pile driver, the combination of the frame having the Vertical guidingstandards, the cross-head movable vertically between the said standards, the rock-shaft journaled to the cross-head, the arnrO, project-ing from the rock-shaft and havlng the hammer P, the spring S, connected to the rockshaft and adapted to normally raise or poise the hammer, the arm R, projecting from the rock-shaft, the lever T, pivoted to the crosshead, and the link U, connecting the said lever to the arm R, substantially as described.

3. The combination, in a post or pile driver, ofthe frame having the vertical guiding-standards G, the vertically-movable head secured to the said standards, the springpoised hammer pivotal] y connected to the cross-head, the operating-lever, also connected to the cross-head and to the hammer, for the purpose set forth, and the lever W, connected to the cross-head to raise and lower the same, and thereby raise or lower the hammer and its operating devices, the said lever having the detentto secure it Many desired angle,for the purpose set forth, substantially as described.

4. The truck mounted on wheels and provided with the vertical guide-standards G and V the arms H, in combination with the vertically-movable crosshcad secured between the standards G,and carrying the hammer and the operating devices therefor, and the lever W', pivoted between the arms H and connected to the cross-head, for the purpose set forth, substantially as described.

5. In a post or pile driver, the truck hav- ELMER W'ELSH. ARTEMUS WVELSH.

.Vitnesses:

' J. H. CULLER, R. G. LEEPER, 

